Insurance Rant

[Lyndy]

Sorry folks, I just need to sound off about the way insurance companies treat us in their medical screening.

Generally I feel quite good, yes I have had challenges and times when I have been very poorly but today, this month I am pretty much cancer free and I feel like a survivor. But the insurance companies want me to say if I am likely to last 6 months?!

One asked if I had had oxygen therapy, they then assumed that I was still on it.

Had my tumours shrunk grown or stayed the same? Well which time and which tumours do you mean?

Only one asked if my oncologist was happy for me to go…yes he is!

They still wanted £800 to cover 5 days in Spain when the holiday isn’t even costing that much!

I am joining the many of us that take a GHIC card and hope for the best . Sorry for the rant but they made me feel that being a survivor counts for nothing and the only destination I should be going to is Switzerland one way xx

[Kjpip]

Oh Lyndy, I feel your pain!! Feel free to rant away, you're the most amazing survivor and always have something helpful and positive to say to everyone on here, so it's only fair you get to have a moan once in a while!Can I ask which insurance companies you've spoken to? I have found insurancewith.com to be very good, they ask reasonably sensible questions and have been happy to insure me quite cheaply three times now, even though I'm 4a and still receiving maintenance treatment. I've been to Germany twice for long weekends for about £50 each time, and just recently got a quote of about £100 for Iceland, which I don't think is too bad. (And yes, I wish I'd got an annual policy now, I wasn't expecting to travel so much this year!)

I hope you have a fabulous time in Spain anyway, enjoy the 🌞 xx

[Lyndy in reply to Kjpip]

I tried MIA and insurancewith but I think I got caught out by the oxygen question and then couldn’t edit it. Can you ring them? I think I would do better speaking to a human xx

[Kjpip in reply to Lyndy]

Yes their number is 0333 005 1066. I spoke to them about my Iceland trip and they were very helpful on the phone. Good luck 🤞 xx

[Davonian in reply to Kjpip]

I've also used insurancewith over the last 6 years and they have always been fair with their prices even for a trip to the USA in 2019. I would always try them first. This year things have changed for me and I haven't got a quote yet but I would have to do the same if I felt well enough to travel and use the GHIC. I know the destination well enough to know there is a clinic close by and to take my passport as well as the card. All the best

[patricia54053]

I booked a holiday in may to Spain, any insurance company I tried all wanted over £1000 to insure me, I just took my ghic card and basic insurance

[NewtonEmma1900]

I am sorry to hear this Lynda, I too have used Insurance with, my 1st was around £70 for a trip to France and the second to Sicily; it rose to £120 because by then I had experienced low platelets. I tried to get a cancer exclusion because it’s more likely that I would ‘break a leg’ than be suddenly poorly from cancer. I didn’t find a company that would do that.

[Riverflo]

Hi Lyndy,Completely agree with EHIC card and hoping for the best. I haven't ever bothered with insurance for European holidays and I cannot imagine a scenario where the Spanish health service would refuse to treat your health needs, at least enough to get you back home.

On a side note, the Spanish prime minister is passing a law here that insurance and mortgage companies can't discriminate against cancer patients.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday in this beautiful country.

Martine xxx

[Motiva in reply to Riverflo]

That is very progressive of the Spanish, well done Pedro Sanchez 👏🏼

[carrotmunch5]

Hi Lyndy, I am so sorry to hear this. I feel your pain too. Really annoying those insurance questions etc. I too needed to travel insurance back in February to go to Japan for two weeks. Some insurance companies didn't even give me a quote. One broker I contacted, she said her computer didn't give her quote. I have metastatic OC, on clinical trial, so often those quotes came up for around £2000 or higher. But I persisted searching, also I got insurance company lists from Macmillan and Maggie's. I contacted one by one. Then found a company, it was basic cover ( hospital treatment costs) but finally found it for £250. Link below. Hope you can enjoy your Spain holiday with resting mind. ⛱️🔆🌞🏖️💜

payingtoomuch.com/

[Shrek1609]

you need to try a more specialised company such as “Insurance with”

They are used to our situation and yes they ask lots of questions but potentially you could need a large amount of cover if you should suddenly be ill again whilst away and so need to have a full overview.

I’m stage 3c, with a recurrence, and an inoperable tumour in my portacaval area in my chest but still managed to get annual cover including cruise cover for less than £400

[win_56 in reply to Shrek1609]

Just don't get this. Insure with seem hit and miss whether they Insure you. They wouldn't Insure me last year and I was classed as stable with two small cancerous lymph nodes in chest and one in pelvis. Just taking letrozole. I had a list of insurance companies from local cancer centre. ,10 companies including I sure with would not even give me a quote. Im 67 and was going to canaries for 11 nights. My oncologist said absolutely ridiculous as Im not on any chemo etc. The cheapest that I could get was £780!!! From all clear. Believe me I rang every insurance company on that list. Its just a lottery whether they'll insure you or not.

[JustKBO]

hi Lyndy good to hear from you, I love a good rant! I joined the GHIC club years ago. I’ve needed treatment three times whilst away, in Oman, France and Bali and the most expensive was £125 in Bali with the cheapest £75 in France. I think we just have to weigh up how we’re currently feeling. Ask ourselves what’s the most likely to happen if something goes wrong and realise that it’s unlikely to cost as much as the insurance. In the early days I was very scared and paid £2000 insurance for a holiday in Dubai. I didn’t need it and have never taken one out since. 🤞🏻🙏🏻.

[Motiva]

Hope you enjoy a lovely trip. So good to think forward to an escape. Busy trying to reclaim cancellation of a trip I couldn’t take in May. It is very onerous and insurance companies do like stalling tactics.

Good luck on getting a fair deal.

Thank you everyone for sharing insurancewith…

Frances x

[Frenchhouse3]

Hi Lyndy,

I’m with you on this.

I booked two short trips to Italy ( 6 days ) and Majorca ( 4days) and was charged between £240 and £275 for each with no cancellation fees as it would have been even more expensive.

The questions asked were really awful too, like, are you terminal i.e. going to die in six months etc. It was really upsetting.

It almost put me off bothering and yet with this illness, we want to make the most of our time.

Kindest regards

Denise xxx

Ps I am 3.5 years clear since diagnosis.

[SopSinger]

It's always better to speak to a human if you can, as they have access to questions that the online algorithms don't offer. I've heard great things about insurancewith and also allclear. Hope you find a solution that works for you!

[Kaitlinsmum]

My friends use InsureWith for travel insurance. Enjoy your holiday x

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Hi there Lyndy,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a tough time getting travel insurance. Please always feel free to share these frustrations, I'm glad to see our lovely members have come back with supportive responses as they always do.

We do have a booklet about travelling, which includes some suggestions of insurance companies that our members have had success with in the past. Some of these have already been mentioned:

ovacome.org.uk/travelling-a...

If you do need to talk this through, or just share your frustrations with a listening ear, you can call the Ovacome support line on 0800 008 7054. We are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.

Best wishes,

Jo

Ovacome Support

[delia2]

Lyndy, I hope you have a wonderful time in Spain. You deserve it! Xx

[Skyeplus]

Hi Lyndy, rant away. I share your pain as I too have been frustrated. So far I’ve been refused insurance so I’m really interested to know which companies are best. I’m stage 4a and on Niraparib. I hope you get insurance and enjoy a fabulous trip. 🌞🌞🌞

[Alice77]

Enjoy your holiday please. Yes it is frustrating and I have been refused insurance by most companies,quoted £3500 for a fortnight by another, etc. When I applied on line Insurance with would not insure me so I rang them to ask why not as I am taking no cancer medication of any kind and have my oncologists approval. After the usual lengthy conversation and by agreeing to use my home contents policy where applicable I emerged with a quote for two weeks touring iin France and Italy of £220! Yes it is annoying and it is an effort but it is definitely worth speaking to a human being. Good luck.

[Heidi1965]

I used staysure I paid £780 worldwide cover for a year